


something wrong? only everything

by shokubeni



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Canon Compliant, Canon Universe, I am here to make all the slytherin queer, M/M, Minor Canonical Character(s), Non-Canon Relationship, Triwizard Tournament, and give them a background story
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-28
Updated: 2017-08-28
Packaged: 2018-12-21 00:19:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,906
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11932395
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shokubeni/pseuds/shokubeni
Summary: cassius warrington fantasizes with the idea of showing all the gryffindor gits. he laughs thinking about all those stupid blokes calling him names, and looking over their shoulders, he fantasizes with the idea of having people admiring him, of people submitting to the hogwart's champion being a member of the most hated house.





	something wrong? only everything

**Author's Note:**

> the cassius warrington character study during the triwizard tournament no one asked for, and i made it gay.  
> y'all are welcome♡ 
> 
> written for the [snakepit net](http://snakepitnet.tumblr.com) event: obscure slytherins

i.  _“you know? that big bloke who looks like a sloth”_

cassius warrington is not deaf, and people are not _exactly_ discreet. also, you could hear being called names a certain amount of time until it starts to get into you, until you start feeling how they become a part of you, creeping into your flesh and accommodating into your bones until you look into the mirror and see more _sloth_ than _bloke_.

he was aware of the unjustified hate he was going to receive just because of being sorted at the slytherin house, it's just, some days are better than others, even if every time he feels his spirits wavering, or his anger bubbling in his chest wanting to hex the entire gryffindor student body into tears, there's always graham montague's hand squeezing his shoulder.

 

ii. “e _ternal glory! that's what awaits the student who wins the triwizard tournament, but to do this, that student must survive three tasks. three extremely dangerous tasks._ "

there's this buzzing feeling inside of his chest, and looking around, he wonders if he's the only one who's feeling it. most of the people around him, seem more annoyed or bored than thrilled at the perspective of the triwizard tournament. flint is pissed, because it means no quidditch for the entire school year, montague looks uninterested and a few rows from where he is, he can see blaise zabini eyeing the beauxbaton's girls with fiery interest.

but he can't stop thinking about it, _eternal glory_ , it sounds inviting, it sounds _big_ , bigger than cassius warrington ever intended to be. and he fantasizes with the idea of showing all the gryffindor _gits_. he laughs thinking about all those stupid blokes calling him names, and looking over their shoulders, he fantasizes with the idea of having people _admiring him_ , of people submitting to the hogwart's champion being a member of the most hated house.

cassius fantasizes and smiles to himself as if he's standing in front of the mirror of erised holding the triwizard cup, unaware of montague's eyes on him.

 

iii. " _th_ _e champions will be chosen by an impartial selector... the goblet of fire._ ”

he doesn't tell anyone, as he wakes up before the dawn breaks to put his name in the goblet of fire, his fingertips are trembling when he's writing  _cassius warrington_ in a piece of parchment, and so is the rest of his body when he throws it into the goblet of fire. he still feels that flaming impulse inside of him, of  _wanting_ to be chosen, of  _winning_ , and cassius thinks this is the first time he feels anything close to _pride_ .

he's surprised when he comes back to the dorm, and montague is sitting on his bed. his hair is sticking in every direction, his square jaw relaxed, and he's smiling at him with sleepy eyes in an almond shape, that makes him look softer than he actually is, and cassius grins back. “what will you do if you get chosen?” he says, assuming what he has done, not needing to ask any questions, and cassius just shrugs. 

“showing them, i guess.”  
and with a proud grin, montague squeezes his shoulder again.

(by the end of the day, the rumour has spread and everyone is talking about him trying to become a hogwarts champion. gryffindors look at him with the same despective air, calling him names, but something has  _shifted_ inside the slytherin walls. flint has given him a motivational speech, as if he's ready to throw him to the tournament as if it's a quidditch match, parkinson and her gang a sly grin, crabbe and goyle a stupid thumbs up, and cassius swears that even nott, that silent and detached lad, has smiled at him)

 

iv.  _“now, let me be clear. if chosen, you stand alone._ " 

he's nervous during the announcement of the champions, all the slytherins roar when viktor krum is chosen, and clap and whistle when fleur delacour follows him, and by then, cassius heart is beating heavily against his ribcage, so fast and so hard, he's sure that montague and bole, who are standing next to him, can listen to it clearly.

the next champion is going to be the champion of hogwarts and he feels like destiny is about to unfold in front of his eyes. there's still that burning desire inside of his chest of wanting to be chosen, so everyone has to defer to the idea of a slytherin champion, but at the same time, there's something much darker, lurking in the shadows and making his chest heavy.

cedric diggory is announced, and the disappointment falls on him like an overweight hippogriff. montague is squeezing his shoulder again, but at the same time, the goblet of fire starts bubbling up, and his eyes widened so much it's like they are going to fall from his face.

fate develops and shows itself in marvellous ways, cassius realises, and when dumbledore takes the piece of parchment out of the globet of fire, reading the name harry potter, the echo and the silence makes everyone speechless, and cassius can physically _feel_ the rage, coming into waves from everyone's magic.

“bloody _potter._ ” cassius can hear malfoy complain somewhere behind him, the loathe spilling like venom from the tip of his tongue.

and he still _feels_ that heavy, dark and uncomfortable weight on his chest.

 

v.  _“that's my boy!”_

in all honesty, cassius and the ninety seven percent of the slytherin students doesn't care who wins the tournament as soon as it's not harry potter, the main debate is between cedric and viktor, even if the bulgarian _bonbon_ , has a few adepts and fans in the snake house.

cassius is a little bitter, however, during all the tournament, he feels like he could have done well in the tasks, with the dragon and then the lake. (and secretly, as he fantasized about the idea of hogwarts submitting to him as a winner, he also fantasized about saving montague from the depths of the lake).

but again, fate develops in ways cassius never imagined.

harry potter is holding a lifeless cedric diggory between his arms, and the air has changed. all the atmosphere is surreal, brutal, like time has stopped. everyone seems to be unable to move, and the only thing that pierces the heavy silence it's cedric diggory's father broken and desperate sobs.

cassius feels like his entire body is underwater, like someone has casted an imperius spell on him without noticing, and all his body is stone and grain, he feels a hand taking his, and he has the feeling he spends _hours_ turning around, until he sees the face of graham montague, distorted in confusion, his eyes screaming: _it could have been you._

and cassius nods, as if he's listening to him speak, clearly, inside of his head; through the ruckus and the turmoil and the screams, before everyone is finally moving, and snape is trying to get all the slytherin students back to the dungeons.

his hand is still clinging to montague's, or maybe it's montague's the one who is clinging to him, until they both collapse in their dorms.

_it could have been me._

(because if anyone thinks that being a slytherin means that you could be saved from the rage and the mission of the dark lord, cassius kindly invites them to the slytherin common room, to feel the tension and the silence, of draco and theo gravitating towards each other in controlled fear, _knowing_ more than they dare to say, _knowing_ it could be any of them soon, sooner than any of them wants to.)

 

vi _. "cedric diggory was murdered by lord voldemort... the ministry of magic does not wish me to tell you this..."_

secrets become more powerful when they start to be screamed aloud, even if people try to hush them and deny them, but it's not use when the truth it's there, exposed for everyone who is _willing_ to see, so everything changes after cedric diggory's death. and cassius warrington can still feel the weight of graham montague's hand against his own.

hogwarts is mourning, but everything has tilted inside of the slytherin house, a turn so drastic and sudden that reality is distorted, no one seems to know what to do, where they are, where they stand and where they are supposed to be doing.

there's suspicion, and there's _fear_. the groups tighten and the silence intensifies, the owls come and go all the time, and people breathe out in relief when they don't stop in front of them during breakfast.

(it stops in front of theodore nott once, a letter from his father, _everyone_ knows, and his hands are shaking so hard, it's pansy parkinson the one who has to help him to open it, before he leaves to the dorm with glistening eyes and a sick expression on his face.)

and cassius feels like he's dreaming, or having a nightmare, he's not sure. it's like his body is not quite his own, and reality passes in front of him like he's a mere spectator, he nods when people acknowledge him, he gives out curtly replies of monosyllables, but he feels the only connection which is real, tangible and important, is the warmth emanating of montague's palm when it presses against his shoulder.

 

vii. “ _remember what happened to a boy who was good, and kind, and brave, because he strayed across the path of lord voldemort. remember cedric diggory.”_

“it could have been me.” he has whispered one night. “i could have be chosen, and i could have _died_.” back pressed against the wall and his thigh brushing against montague's, in one of those nights they are supposed to be asleep, but that no one is. “and my father would have not mourned me...” he says, with a chuckle, bitterly, and _bloody_ angry. his father could have been there, probably, when cedric was killed, along with flint's father, and malfoy's, and nott's. “and no one would have.”

cedric became a martyr of the dark lord's mission, and while hogwarts is mourning for him, and rightfully so; cassius couldn't help to have the feeling that he would have been a _true_ spare. no one is going to mourn a loss of something, or someone, they truly don't feel sorry about losing. no one is going to miss it.

and next to him, montague's body shivers, maybe from fear or disgust or both, and when cassius turn around to check on him, he looks so pale he thinks he's about to get sick. and this time, it's his hand the one which falls on his shoulder, squeezing it lovingly, and the tears start to pool against montague's lashes.

and time stays still again. tears are something uncommon between them, something that's private and kept in the shadows, but as a transparent trail goes from montague's eyes to his cupid's bow, cassius feel there's something sacred about them, about seeing him cry, about sharing this moment with him, and his words get stuck in his throat, unable to say anything.

“i would have.” it's what it comes out from montague's mouth, his voice heavy and hoarse for his crying, and there's a sting of guilt and shame crossing all over cassius' body.

montague's hands have always beeen there, the only true memory, the only thing that anchored him to reality, from the very beginning, until now.

 

**Author's Note:**

> come say hi to me at my[tumblr](http://crvdence.tumblr.com)


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